Greg Cronin: The PK Pushdown, Penalty Routes, & When to Pressure

Colorado Eagles head coach Greg Cronin takes immense pride in his responsibilities, primary among which was his dedication to the penalty kill in his four years as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders before moving to Colorado. As a specific special teams’ coach, there aren’t many better feelings than a successful PK or a powerplay goal. Watching the opponent’s frustration because they can’t set up on the powerplay usually means you had a clear plan for your killers, and they followed through with their skill and execution. But it’s not easy to play down a player. It takes practice.

“The fundamental importance of repping things out is a critical part of your penalty kill’s success. Never underestimate the importance of running routes and getting in shot lanes.”

For Cronin and the Eagles, communication and reading teammates is crucial to every successful penalty kill. No two power plays are made equal. The other team is trying to score – your structure is trying to stop their creativity.

“Practice your push-down routes, and put partners together who compliment each other.”

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